Tears for Cybertron
by Nanoshifter95
Summary: The war for Cybertron is taking its toll on the autobots and their forces are stretched thin. Their best hope lies with a group of 'Young sparks' who must work together to defend their home.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Jets screamed overhead and soared over the barren no-man's land. The twisted metal spires that filled the sky offered little cover from the rampaging Decepticons. In the shadows stirred a figure. Sidewinder peered out of his hiding place and watched the three brightly coloured jets leave. He turned back to his wounded comrade. She was lying flat on the ground and liquid energon was spilling from her spark. Sidewinder cradled her head and she spluttered

"Hang in there, the others are on their way" he stroked her metal cheek "you're going to make it". There was an explosion from outside and he got to his feet, his left hand weaponised. He pressed his back against the wall and searched the sky, something was up there. Logic dictated that the something wasn't friendly. Sidewinder gingerly looked out. A large airship was gliding though the canyon. Decepticon iconography all over the vast hull. Small shapes dropped from its underbelly and landed on the ground. More Decepticons. The odds were not looking good. He had to keep them away from Aftershock. Making his decision he loaded the gun.

**Four months previously**

Sidewinder stretched and some of the joints in his shoulder clicked in thanks. He rolled his shoulders and stared in awe at the view from the citadel. The other Autobots were maintaining the machinery in the parapet below but he had managed to sneak off while his supervisor wasn't looking for a well-earned rest. Ratchet looked up and caught him

"Sidewinder get down here". Rolling his eyes he did as he was told and dropped down off the battlements to stand next to the old man. Ratchet groaned. Smiling cheerily Sidewinder bent down and lifted the generator Ratchet had been carrying (with the help of Cliffjumper) and rested it on his shoulder

"Where did you want this?" Ratchet pointed and Sidewinder carried it over and fitted it into place. Ratchet nodded, begrudgingly pleased with the young bot's work . The cocky young Autobot resumed his work. Lifting repairing and assembling all the components in the citadel that were required to defend them from the ever impending attack. A soldier by trade Sidewinder was fairly new to the Autobots. Ironhide had swiftly taken him under his wing and shown him the ropes, he had shown promise in the use of heavy weapons.

Having finished his work Sidewinder scaled the battlements to look out across the horizon once more. He craned his neck and squinted into the sunlight. There were four small shapes moving towards them. His eyes adjusted and he tried to identify. It was them. His face lit up with glee. Ratchet joined him on the edge of the defence tower

"Ah good, Prime's back" and with that climbed down to greet his old friend. The great metal doors opened and four vehicles screeched to a halt. The largest was a red freight truck and in a swirl of parts and lights it became Optimus Prime leader of the Autobot rebels. Sidewinder gaped at the sight

"Wow" he breathed. Two of the other vehicles reverted to their robot form. Bumblebee nodded to some of the workers and jogged off for some maintenance. Jazz leapt up and greeted a few of his comerades before leaving to be debriefed. The last Autobot stayed in vehicle form. Optimus strode forwards and Ratchet met him half way

"Prime" Ratchet nodded

"Ratchet I must speak with you in private. I have troubling news" the two vanished within the citadel walls. Sidewinder cocked his head to one side _odd _he thought _Something's up _he hopped down and made an attempt at following

"What do you think you're doing?" the sharp voice stopped the bulky youth in his tracks, he turned on his heels and stood face to face with an irritated looking femmebot. She had transformed from the sleek purple motorbike and was bearing down on him. He smiled

"I was going to go and see what the fuss was about"

"And you have that right?" she scoffed "who are you"

"Sidewinder" he puffed out his chest and looked tough "Ironhide's apprentice"

"Oh in that case go on in" she smiled sweetly. Sidewinder turned to go but she grabbed his shoulder

"That was sarcasm I don't care who you are, Prime has ordered me to let no-one in after him". Sidewinder offered a friendly hand

"I care who you are" he grinned. The stern glare did not falter. Eventually the hand was withdrawn and Sidewinder retreated back to the battlements.

The sun set on the battle-scarred horizon and the Autobots gathered within the confines of the citadel. Sidewinder was still contemplating the fiery femmebot he had encountered hours ago. As he descended towards the armoury he met up with Quake. His huge friend was a demolitions expert and as such transformed into a particularly powerful cybertronian tank. Though his weapons were limited his effectiveness on the battlefield was unquestioned by his peers, Sidewinder included. The massive bot's face split into a big grin

"Sidewinder" he slowed his pace to walk beside him

"Hey Quake. Did you hear prime's in the citadel"

"It was built for him". They passed through a vast metal archway where dozens of their Autobot brothers were already gathering to hear the news from Prime

"I know that but it's y'know a Prime"

"I get it Sidewinder. Still don't get why you have to get so excited he comes and goes all the time"

"You don't have to ruin it for me" Sidewinder grumbled. Realising his mistake Quake chuckled and grappled with him

"Aw come on, I didn't mean it" Sidewinder laughed and twisted free of Quake's grip and spun to put a hand to the back of his head

"Kill shot" he chirped. Quake laughed

"Ok, you got me" the two chuckled and stepped into the grand chamber. Ratchet was organising the display. He lifted his head and spied the two. He said nothing and went back to his work. The pair took a seat near the back and waited for Prime to arrive. Hey didn't wait long. The large Autobot strode in through the doors and took his post in front of the citadel's workers. He looked solemnly among them. The femmebot Sidewinder had seen earlier was posted by the door and wasn't looking too happy. Prime nodded to Ratchet and the lights cut out. Only an image from the holographic progector lit the room

"My Brothers" Prime began "I have grave news. A team of our best soldiers is trapped deep in Decepticon territory and we have lost contact" the progetor displayed a map of the planet, Prime pointed to a position on it "The team last checked in at this point and claimed to have vital information on the Decepticon fleet". If we do not rescue them then the whole of our kind could be in danger"

"So why come to us about it" shouted some worker. Prime's tone remained calm and lost no respect

"I have come to you all to ask for your help. We need a team of soldiers to deploy at this point and find out what happened. I ask this because my attention is required elsewhere, otherwise I would do it myself" Prime bowed his head and spoke in a quieter tone "General Ironhide is among the missing squad". The words hit Sidewinder like a grenade to the face. He gaped for a few seconds and regained his senses

"I'll go" he said. Heads turned to face him. He took no notice and instead walked towards where Prime was standing. Ratchet looked as awestruck as everyone else, although he needn't have, he knew Sidewinder would try and help. Prime looked down on the younger bot

"Are you sure?" he asked

"I owe a great deal to General Ironhide, more than I'd care to mention. I will gladly heid the call to arms". Quake noticed where the situation was going and covered his face, he was about to do something stupid

"I'll answer too" he trudged down to his friend's side.

"These protoforms can't do this" Sidewinder turned his head to watch the Purple femmebot storm towards them "Send me Optimas, I have the training I can bring them back safely". Prime lifted his hand to silence her. He looked into Sidewinder's eyes. Boring a hole right through him

"This young spark has promise. I have no doubt in his abilities" Prime turned away

"WHAT!" The femmebot shouted

"If you want to go so badly you could always come along" Sidewinder mumbled

"An excellent idea" Ratchet stepped forwards from the corner and nodded to Sidewinder "Aftershock will prove a valuable asset in most combat situations" he continued. Aftershock was seething

"Fine" she spat. She stormed out of the room bumping into Sidewinder's shoulder on the way out. The Autobots dispersed leaving Quake and Sidewinder staring at the form of Aftershock as she vanished into the crowd

"I'm getting bad juju about this one Wind" Quake groaned

"I like her" Sidewinder started walking towards the armoury "Let's get kitted out, we need to leave as soon as possible".


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sidewinder slotted the large energy shotgun into its holster within his back. The panel closed and the grip was concealed. Quake pushed a few more weapons into his artillery container and closed it. Aftershock was brooding in the corner her weapons hadn't yet been revealed to the two, they were slightly sceptical on the matter. She turned to them and stalked over

"Who're you?" she rapped her knuckles on Quake's chest. He stepped back

"I'm the big artillery" he smiled

"I thought Sidewinder was supposed to be the heavy artillery"

"Oh I'm a little less sophisticated" Quake chuckled.

"Quake here has the biggest guns on the citadel) Sidewinder jabbed his thumb in Quake's direction "But he's limited on the battlefield. He delivers one hell of a fight when he needs to, but unfortunately he can use few weapons apart from his main guns". Aftershock smirked

"So he's not flexible enough in combat" she sneered

"I don't like her" Quake grumbled, he plodded off and Sidewinder tapped his friend's shoulder as he passed. One out of earshot he rounded on Aftershock

"Are you trying to piss him off"

"Yes" she frowned "was that unclear?"

"I'm wasting my time here" Sidewinder walked over to join his friend "you might be trying to prove yourself to Optimus, but I'm doing it for someone else's benefit, not my own."

The group assembled by the front gates. Aftershock said her farewells to her friends in Optimus' personal guard and gestured for them to leave. Ratchet was waiting for them outside, he took Sidewinder aside

"You know the outlook is bleak" he put a comforting hand on Sidewinder's shoulder "I don't even want to think of what might be waiting for you"

"Ratchet I owe Ironhide this much" and with that he walked away from the old bot and joined his team "let's roll out" he jumped into the air and the panels and gears spun and adjusted until he became a black muscle car. Quake crouched and the two cannons on his back rotated and shifted. Aftershock wasted no time and shifted to vehicle mode. The muscle car, tank and motorbike sped off across the ash wastes of the once proud city and into the horizon, unsure what perils awaited them but going forth none the less.

XXX

The golden sun vanished over the horizon. Aftershock adjusted her optics to cope with the shifting light. Decepticon patrols were appearing more frequently. The scans suggested they were making good progress, she thought otherwise. The other two were driven by motives she didn't understand. They weren't incredible soldiers but sufficient. Her respect for Quake had not altered, especially since on the trek they encountered a Decepticon scout band. Quake had 'heroically' charged headlong into them shouting curses and war cries at the top of his lungs before smashing the lot of them. Stealth was not an option. Quake flopped down onto his back

"My servo's are killing me" Sidewinder nodded absently. His bulky friend sat up and nudged his shoulder "You ok?"

"Huh…" he looked up "yeah sure, why not" and then descended back into his trancelike state. Aftershock wasn't sure what to make of him. His qualities seemed to counteract each other, in one sense he was one to want to stay out of trouble yet strode headlong into enemy gunfire with foolhardy courage _'perhaps foolhardy is enough on its own' _she thought. She crossed her legs and sat down next to the two. Quake noticed the awkward silence and made it obvious. He released a false yawn but there was no effect on the others, they still didn't take any notice. He sighed and looked into the ravaged nights sky. The swirling constellations and shifting battleships filled his optics. He looked over to Aftershock

"So what are you trained in?"

""Excuse me?" She snapped. Quake shrugged

"You know what we do. You didn't tell us about yourself" he folded his arms

"If you must know" she snorted "I am one of Prime's personal guard"

"We know that" Sidewinder frowned "but what are your skills?"

"Abundant" After shock leaned backwards "Quake, you keep watch first" she rolled over and powered down. Quake lay down and put his hands behind his head. Jets and hoverships glided overhead high up. The carbon shielding in the group's paint hid them from the scans of the Decepticons. Sidewinder didn't power down, leaving him and Quake to talk

"Worried huh?" Quake turned his head to face his friend. Sidewinder nodded "You think the big man's involved?"

"Probably" Sidewinder lay back and powered down his systems.

XXX

The amber light of morning re-activated Sidewinder's optics. He sat up and rubbed his face. Aftershock was poised, her hand had shifted into a machine gun and pointed at something down the ash slope. Sidewinder got up and stumbled blearily over to her

"What is it?" he followed the angle of her weapon and spotted the danger. A group of Decepticon scouts were moving very close. Quake rolled over and snorted. Their eyes snapped onto their position. Sidewinder grinned

"Nothing like a fight to get the oil pumping" he raised his right hand and it transformed into a plasma grenade launcher, without time for protest Sidewinder jumped onto the slope and slid down it, firing charged shots into the small group, they scattered. He transformed into a car and swerved and transformed back. He launched a grenade into the lead scout's face, the head exploded. Sidewinder spun round and caught the head of a scout attempting to sneak up on him. He slammed it into the ground and crushed it in his grip. Oil and liquid energon sprayed across his face. He lifted the gun and blasted the next closest. He whirled round and spied the last one. The small Decepticon paused for a moment before running. Sidewinder took aim and waited for a more challenging shot. He closed one eye and smirked "Too easy" the scout exploded in a gout of green flames. Sidewinder turned and spotted the shooter. Quake lifted his huge tank cannons and yawned. He saluted his friend and superior and Sidewinder climbed back up the hill to the others. Aftershock was furious, she stomped forwards and slapped Sidewinder across the face with a loud clang.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" she shouted

"A warm up" Sidewinder offered grinning hopefully. Aftershock went to slap him again and he caught her wrist "problem?"

"That was fast, well executed and seemingly flawless"

"Thank you"

"That was all improvised was it?"

"Yes… what's the big deal?"

"You're a rookie, where did you learn to fight like that?" She pulled her wrist free and crossed her arms. Sidewinder scratched his head

"I suppose it was my father who taught me" he shrugged

"Who's your father?" she did a double take "how can you even classify another cybertronian as your father?"

"Because for all intensive purposes… he is. My spark and original shell was modelled on his own". He de-weaponised his hand and started walking. He bumped knuckles with Quake as he passed him.


End file.
